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I gave up dairy for a month and this happened...

3.27.2017

Going into the new year I wanted to give something a try that could potentially change my lifestyle. If it worked and proved to be better for me, I wanted to keep at it. I'm still trying to keep this mentality but for now, I can tell you how this went for me. I understand my experience won't be the same for everyone. At least this will give you a little insight.

Week One.
Like any new idea, I was in the right frame of mind and ready to tackle what was ahead of me. No dairy, easy! I could just research into alternatives and substitute products so I didn't have to miss out. Technically I didn't have to feel like I would be missing out because milk products weren't a large chunk of my dietary intake. I quite enjoyed products like almond and coconut milk already. My cravings started towards the end of the first week when I wanted things like yogurt and chocolate. Other than that I found removing dairy from my diet was easy if it was an optional product to start with. I didn't have much interest in finding dairy-free products of items I had already lying around the house.

Week Two.
During my dairy free adventure I thought I'd explore the world of soya. The only thing I really knew about this product was that it was a common alternative for dairy. I wish I read into it more beforehand. I discovered that soya gave me skin problems. I reached out to my boyfriends cousin who is a happy vegan for advise. I never thought that soya could upset the hormonal balance with your skin. Funnily enough, hormonal spots were quite an important factor in why I decided to avoid dairy. If I drank too much milk for example, I would break out and my arms would also come out in an acne like condition. Bye bye soya.

Week Three.
Honestly, I felt a little knocked down by the state of my skin on my skin. I was still quite happy having no dairy, but now I didn't feel inclined to try new alternatives. My enthusiasm towards this challenge had faded quite dramatically. My skin was still unpleasant, although it was now on the mend of getting back to it's usual state. The only soya exception I allowed myself to cheer myself up was the Quorn picnic eggs - damn they're good.

Week Four.
By the final week, I think I had already made my decision in terms of how I would continue this no dairy lifestyle choice. Considering I don't have much dairy as it is, It's no harm to either continue having milk when perhaps its the only option available, or just picking a good alternative depending on the drink. If there is a percentage of dairy in a ready made product (ie pasta etc.. ) then it's not an issue with moderation. I generally don't think my skin at the moment can handle a dramatic hormonal imbalance in comparison to what it would usually be familiar to. I think a healthy mix of exercising and eating everything in moderation or giving the opportunity to a non-dairy alternative a chance as and when is the best lifestyle choice for me.